Vollständigkeit
by NajikaSun
Summary: Monika Beilschmidt, a German banker in America, stumbles across Feliciano Vargas, a young Italian student. And as much as she hates to admit it, she's fallen completely head over heels for the young man, and she hopes Feliciano feels the same about her. Human AU. Rated K-plus for mild swearing. It's mainly fluff!
1. First Meetings are Unexpected

**Author's Notes: Hey, guys, I'm actually starting a story that's going to have more than one chapter! :D I really hope I can continue this until the end, I have some good ideas (in my opinion!) for this fic. I hope you enjoy the way I portray fem!Germany, it's my first time working with her.**

**Anyway, please enjoy the first chapter of my new fanfiction, Vollständigkeit!**

**o-o-o-o-o**

"Here you are, have a pleasant afternoon," the blonde-haired woman repeated for what she thought must've been the hundredth time today, despite being a very slow day. After handing over a handful of bills and watching the young lady exit the small building, she proceeded to wait for another customer, and leaned her chin into a gloved hand, letting her thoughts wander a bit.

"_Nobody really cares about those of us who work so hard to do something with such little significance. Well, what we do does have some sort of significance, in the real world, but not directly in people's personal lives. Being a banker doesn't dramatically improve lives or impact each individual person in the long run. All it really seems to do is get people the cash they need or to scratch them the wrong way by refusing to do what they want you to do. This job is a difficult one to have, and an even more difficult one to understand."_

And that brings us back to our blond-haired banker, Monika Beilschmidt. For all anyone knew, she was just a normal banker, nothing special or noteworthy. In all actuality, that is a lie. She isn't a normal banker, but she tends not to share anything about her personal life to anyone but her older brother, Gilbert. However, he had flown back to their home country, Germany, to tend to their elderly grandfather. She didn't return back to Germany with him; she didn't think she had the strength to watch her grandfather continue to worsen, especially after both of her parents passed away while she was still in high school. Those days were tough for those two siblings, but they pulled through it together, and Monika had made it through college and ended up here, as a banker. She often thought she should be satisfied that was living on her own and not holed up with her brother and her grandfather in Germany. Though, sometimes she couldn't help but wonder if they'd be proud of her for what she does. And as she digested these thoughts, she heard a fuzzy voice somewhere in front of her as her eyes shifted into focus.

"...miss? Excuse me? Hello?"

She blinked a few times in response, and her head shot up off of the wooden surface of her workspace, prompting a quick withdrawal of the hand waving in front of her face. She hadn't even noticed that another customer had been waiting there in front of her window. She hastily apologized, her cheeks turning slightly pink as she asked him what she could do. The man standing there smiled in response, something not a lot of other customers did.

"I'd like to make a transaction," he chirped in a slightly accented voice, sliding a small envelope across the counter. He was certainly in a good mood for it being almost five in the afternoon, in a stuffy little bank on a hot summer day. The person was young looking, and young sounding, and Monika couldn't help but wonder if he was even of legal age. There was another young man standing near him, who looked less than thrilled to be here, and Monika assumed they were siblings. After a slight nod, she took the envelope and asked for a card, which he promptly handed over, as well as an ID. He had just barely turned eighteen, and his first name was Feliciano. The envelope contained 800 euros, which solidified the young banker's suspicions that this man had come from Italy. A little over a thousand dollars were returned in the envelope, and received with yet another cheery smile.

"Thank you very much, Miss Monika! Have a wonderful day, alright?" he responded with a little wave as he left the bank. Monika's heart skipped a beat. Not one customer had ever called her by her name for the entire three years she'd worked in this bank. She stared at the young man as he exited, hoping that one day, he'd return to this bank and recognize her again. She felt the corners of her lips tug into a slight smile.

Though, she soon realized that she had been overthinking this – Italian people had a tendency to wear their hearts on their sleeves and express themselves openly. The uniforms here at the bank had the tendency to emphasize the breasts on the female employees, and Monika herself boasted impressive ones. So this man must have simply noticed her chest, been impressed, and expressed himself in his ways as an Italian man. Yes, it was very simple once it had been laid out in front of her. Monika sighed, straightened her collared top, and waited for her next customer, with the image of Feliciano's smile etched into her mind.

She wondered if she had been reading too many romance novels, and then wondered if she could pull off one of her own someday, before scrapping both those thoughts and deciding that she needed to focus on her job more during slow days. She shrugged that thought aside as her next customer walked inside and approached her window.

"Hello, how may I help you today?"

**o-o-o-o-o**

The rest of the workday went by relatively slowly. She wasn't fired, she wasn't promoted, she wasn't told hello when she walked in and she wasn't waved goodbye as she left. And she didn't really care at this point.

Monika hurried outside into the parking lot and found her bike, which she took everywhere she went. She got carsick amazingly easily, and she found that she enjoyed the satisfaction of knowing she was working out while still getting where she needed in an efficient method. Biking was her outlet, her stress relief when times got rough – she would take the long way home, as she did tonight, and she would pedal her way down the borders of the back roads and drown herself in her pointless thoughts. Sometimes, Monika would sing. Sometimes, she'd brush up on her German and hold a conversation with herself. And sometimes, on rare occasions, she'd cry as she pedaled furiously down the edges of the streets. Tonight was a thinking night; time to reflect on what had happened today that affected her more than she'd like to admit out loud.

Feliciano had happened. His smile had happened. His words had happened. They were so different than anything Monika had experienced in her life, however clichéd that thought was to think. Her face lit up with a little smile as she reheard his speech and reexamined his smile and relived that entirely too short visit from that wonderful man. Monika hoped so badly that she would run into this young man again. Sure, he was eighteen and she was twenty-two, he was still a child while she was an adult, and he was bouncy and happy while she was quiet and reserved, but still, she felt butterflies in her stomach at the thought of seeing him again.

Monika had never dated anybody else in her life. Her parents were against it, and after they passed away, her brother would not allow any boys near her. Monika had experimented around a bit in high school anyway, though, being in a sort of rebellious stage, but she had never actually kissed someone and felt any sort of happiness or emotion behind it. Yes, she had kissed another person before, but she did not feel what she expected to feel afterwards. That relationship faded fast, and before she knew it, she was alone again. Monika disliked making friends at school, for she knew that after a few years, it would end, and they would end up leaving her forever, and she did not want to shed any tears over pain caused by people who would only abandon her. It wasn't their fault, though. She simply preferred being alone, where she could stay to herself and wouldn't risk being betrayed or broken or brushed aside by someone else.

But Feliciano was different. Smiles were a rare thing nowadays – and Monika missed them. Her parents had smiled at her and her brother very often, while their grandfather did not. Gilbert smiled only around certain people. Monika hardly ever smiled at all, and most of the time it was faked for a photograph. She let a sigh escape her lips as she rode on into the night. She missed smiling people, and she didn't realize it until someone showed her how much one little act of happiness and optimism can make in someone's life.

Monika wondered if Feliciano knew what he had done. She guessed that he did not, since he offered her that kindness and that gratitude so openly. She brought back her desire to write a romance novel, decided she'd try and start one tonight before she went to bed, and continued heading back to her house.

She flicked on the lights in her little one-story flat, removed one glove with her teeth, and proceeded to stick two fingers in her mouth and whistle quite loudly. No more than a few seconds later did a great, brown dog come bounding through the hallway towards Monika. Monika felt one of her rare smiles stretch across her face as she knelt down and tended to her dearest canine friend, Klaus. She hugged the enormous Rottweiler close and scratched behind his ears for a little while before standing back up and walking into her bedroom to change. The dog happily trotted behind her and waited for Monika to feed him, as she always did when she got home from work.

Monika lazily threw on a tank top-shorts combo, fed Klaus, and wound up sitting in front of her computer, staring at a blank word document. She so often felt she had these brilliant ideas in her head while she was busy, and now that she was free, she had no idea how to put these thoughts into words. After almost an hour of just staring at the white screen, she smashed her fingertips across the keys frustratedly, ran her fingers through her hair, and sighed. She erased the garbled nonsense, and began to type whatever popped into her mind, in all its nonsensical fashion, in both English and German.

_My name is Monika. Ich hei__ße _Monika.

_ I am 22 years old. Ich bin 22 Jahre alt._

_ And I am lonely. Und ich bin einsam._

_ But today, I met Feliciano. Aber heute traf ich Feliciano._

_ And now, I am a little bit happier. Und jetzt bin ich ein bisschen glücklicher._

Monika felt herself smiling again at these simple words she had written on the computer screen. She told herself she would continue writing, even if it was just to reflect on her own emotions that she did not want to express. She saved the file, got up, dragged her feet into her bedroom, and promptly fell asleep, dreaming of Feliciano. At some point, her sleep-induced brain wondered if she was in love. And, even in her sleeping state, she said that was impossible, but continued dreaming of this man, regardless. It was the best she'd slept since she moved to America.

**o-o-o-o-o**

**AN: Thank you for reading! Please leave critiques/review on how I can improve or with ideas for what's to come or anything, really! I'd really appreciate it, and I'm still trying to improve my writing style to make it more interesting. XD**

**Also, if someone speaks German out there who's reading this, could you check and make sure my German is correct? I'm in German 101 this year and I'm really new to the language, if that doesn't show already. XD; Achtung!**

**And for those of you who don't know, the word "Vollständigkeit" means "completeness." At least, that's what the dictionary says. XD;**

**I'll have the next chapter worked on shortly! :)**

**-Maya**


	2. A Very Small World

**AN: Hello again, everybody! It's super nice to actually get another chapter done, to try and get into the groove of writing, and all that jazz. This chapter's pretty fluffy, just as a warning~ ;)**

**Enjoy the awkward Gerita!**

**o-o-o-o-o**

Monika was woken up early the next morning by the harsh ringing of her bedside telephone. She groggily sat up, reached sightlessly for the phone, and managed to knock it off the nightstand before she leaned over the side of her bed and actually answered it.

"Beilschmidt resi—"

"Moni! Why didn't you tell your awesome big brother that you met Feli?"

Monika internally groaned. It was far too early for her older brother's screaming without any coffee in her system. All Monika could do in response was mumble a faint 'what?' and yawn tiredly into the receiver. His entire last sentence made no sense to her sleep-tainted mind.

"Who are you talking about, Gilbert?"

"Little Feli! You've gotta know who I'm talking about, y'know, Feliciano? Reddish hair, brown eyes, adorable thing that looks like he's still in grade school? And he always has this little cowlick on the side of his head that'll never flatten down, he's so cute!"

Monika's eyes shot open in realization as Gilbert rambled on. Her brother knew Feliciano? She had to ask more about this. She sat up straight and leaned against the head of her bedframe.

"Ja, I met Feliciano yesterday. Do you know him?" Monika was suddenly afraid she had sounded too eager, and wondered if her brother noticed.

"Of course I know him, Moni! Why didn't you tell me sooner? He's got a younger brother, Lovino, he's kind of a prick compared to Feli, but anyway, Lovino's dating my old friend Antonio. And I've known Antonio since...um...forever or something. But I know Feli, he's super cute, and he calls me all the time now that he's studying in America!"

Monika absorbed every detail of her brother's speech as he garbled on about Feliciano and his friends and other miscellaneous things. So the young man Feliciano was with in the bank _was_ his brother. His older brother, named Lovino. Who is, apparently, a prick, whatever that was supposed to mean in Gilbert's context. And since Lovino was dating Antonio, Gilbert knew Feliciano. Alright, this made perfect sense. Monika felt happiness bubbling in the pit of her stomach as she added two plus two together in her head: That meeting at the bank would not be the last time she saw Feliciano.

"Ah, that makes sense. I'll have to tell Feliciano the next time I see hi—" Monika was cut off by her brother's very strange laugh. It created static over the phone, and almost sounded like some sort of bug was caught in the receiver.

"I already told him that you were my little sister! He gasped and got all excited about it too, I bet you two can become friends."

Monika felt her face light up and couldn't find the right words to say.

"J—Ja, that sounds...fun."

"Alright, then, Moni, I'll letcha get back to work and stuff. Opa's still not doin' much around here. Sorry to be a downer and stuff all of a sudden, but he's not getting any better. But I'm being as awesome as I can and helpin' him eat and get up and stay happy and all that. Anyway, I'll call you later, mkay? Take care of yourself, Moni. And be sure to tell Feli that I say _ciao_!"

"You too, Gil, and I will. _Auf wiedersehen_."

After very slowly hanging up the phone and staring at the ceiling for a few minutes, Monika got up and brushed her teeth and dressed herself for work. Only after about halfway through her morning coffee did her brother's words impact her to their fullest extent, and she choked and almost spat the bitter liquid across the kitchen.

Feliciano would see her again.

She would get to visit Feliciano more often.

Her brother would let her make friends with a boy.

_And that boy was Feliciano._

And without further ado, Monika threw herself back into her bedroom, slammed the door shut and locked it – despite her living alone – and flopped onto her bed, burying her face in her pillow and letting out a high pitched noise of utter joy and happiness. She rolled over onto her back, taking the pillow with her, and just lied there, laughing to herself, wondering why nothing in the past had ever made her feel this wonderful before. It was almost as if her troubles and stress had vanished altogether, and it felt like she was floating on a cloud, looking down at her dirty little neighborhood and embracing the purity of the sky and the breeze outside. All that flowed through her head was Feliciano.

However, soon enough, Monika snapped out of it, sat up, and slapped herself lightly a few times upon both her pink cheeks. This wouldn't happen, it was just a coincidence, and things would go back to normal again, and Feliciano would be able to see her maybe once more. That was it. He was nothing to get this worked up about.

As Monika left her room, she noticed Klaus looking up at her, his head cocked slightly to the side, and his expression screaming, "Are you crazy?" in his canine-esque manner. Monika put on her best facial impression of her brother's Austrian friend, Roderich, and stared down at Klaus, muttering a thickly-accented '_You saw nothing'_ as she walked by.

Monika grabbed her bag shortly afterwards and started heading to work once again. Today was her early day; she got off at noon – maybe afterwards, she'd call Gilbert and ask for Feliciano's phone number.

**o-o-o-o-o**

Monika had been standing outside for exactly twelve and a half minutes, staring at the screen of her phone, waiting for her thumb to hit the little green "call" button. She hoped it would move on its own, so she didn't have to psyche herself up this much just to call him. Eventually, she took a deep breath, and hit the call button. She held her phone to her ear and hoped desperately that he would pick up. She rubbed the back of her neck as she waited, biting her lip in what she could only describe as mild_ internal terror_. Monika waited for what she thought was far too long until finally, that cheery voice she had locked inside her head piped up from the other line.

"..._Pronto, chi parla_?"

And Monika's mind drew a blank. She knew not one word of Italian. She assumed that he was just answering the phone, but what if he said something else? What if he was busy, and he was stating it because he thought it was someone else he knew calling him? What if he was expecting another call? Monika's thoughts raced, and all she could do was stutter out a rather pathetic sounding answer.

"Is—Is this Feliciano?" Her hands were shaking, and she was grateful that her voice wasn't.

"Si, this is Feliciano Vargas. But who are you? I don't recognize your voice, lady!" He sounded happy enough, that was good. This was good. She was doing things correctly, just as planned. Yes, she could do this.

"Monika Beilschmidt. I-I'm Gilbert's younger sister. The banker you met the other day, do you recall?" Feliciano let out a little gasp, and Monika's heart caught in her throat.

"Ah, si, si! I remember you! Of course I remember you! You were the really pretty lady in the bank that I told my best friend Gilbert about and he told me you were his sister and I was gonna call you later today but you called me first and this is so exciting! _Caspita_!" Feliciano's mind was moving far too quickly for his mouth to keep up, and Monika was enjoying every second of listening to his voice. She just listened to him chatting away for a few more moments before she realized that he had stopped talking. She really needed to stop doing that.

"...Monika? Monika, are you still there?" Feliciano's voice asked from the other line. Monika quickly reassured him that she hadn't hung up the phone, and he breathed a sigh of relief. "For a second there, I thought you were mad at me or something."

"Believe me, Feliciano, it takes quite a lot to anger me," Monika stated, finally confident on something she could say, "I grew up with Gilbert, remember?"

Feliciano laughed in response, and Monika couldn't help but echo that laughter right back into the phone. Monika's face lit up as she continued speaking to Feliciano, telling him a little bit about Germany, about Klaus, about her grandfather and about her job, and Feliciano chatted away about his brother and about Italy and everything that he loved, and the two both were spitting images of each other – bright, smiling faces as if there were no troubles in the world anymore and the only ones that mattered were themselves. This conversation lasted more than thirty minutes before Monika figured she should get off the phone and head home. Feliciano let out a little 'oh!' before continuing on.

"Oh, sorry, I forgot that you're busy and everything! I've got a lunch break from school until around two, I was wondering if you wanted to eat lunch with me or something! I thought it would be kinda fun, but it sounds like you—"

"I'll eat with you," Monika blurted out before she even knew what she had said. Feliciano cheered, told her that he'd meet her at the bank, and hung up the phone, leaving Monika propped up against the brick wall of the building, cursing internally at herself as she wiped the nervous sweat off her forehead. She wrung her hands a little bit, took a deep breath, and waited there for Feliciano to show up with the tiniest little smile gracing her lips.

**o-o-o-o-o**

**AN: As always, thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter! It was really fun to write, especially having Moni have her little fangirling session. I have a feeling she'd do that from time to time. And then imitate Austria to her dog. That is perfectly normal. xD**

**Anyway, I hope to see you for the next chapter! It should be up soon!**

**-Maya :)**


	3. Introducing: Feliciano!

**AN: Sorry about the week-long delay in chapters! I'm literally swamped with schoolwork right now and I didn't get to this chapter until yesterday (which was my 18th birthday, yay!). But this chapter is longer than the others by a little bit, so please enjoy! This chapter focuses more on Feliciano and his college adventures. There is a lot of fluffiness in this chapter too. X3**

**Enjoy chapter 3 of Vollständigkeit!**

**o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o**

Monika had to remind herself to breathe when she saw the bright and oh-so-familiar smile heading her direction.

Feliciano did not see Monika at first. He appeared to have earphones on, and his eyes seemed to be closed as he walked, which Monika did not quite understand, but she quickly shrugged that aside. His smile, that spring in his step, his red hair with the little stubborn tuft; this was Feliciano. And Feliciano had gone through all the trouble of going to see Monika – and not just to see her, but to take her out to lunch to get to know her better. Monika internally pinched herself; the thought that she must be dreaming crossed her mind several times as she realized that this was actually happening; Feliciano kept coming closer, and Monika tried to hold onto what little composure she still had. Her knees were shaking slightly as she leaned against the wall of the bank near her beloved bicycle and watched the young man approach. She tried her best to put on a smile. It didn't take _that_ much effort, she internally noted.

Feliciano had been having a wonderful first few days both in America and in his college of choice. He couldn't help but smile as he walked on the curb of the sidewalk, humming along to some song that he didn't quite know the words to yet. His first week at this new university was incredibly eventful; it was his orientation week as an incoming freshman. His older brother had transferred to America here with him, but Lovino was going to be attending a different school than Feliciano – the older was majoring in business, while the younger was passionate for the culinary arts. Feliciano felt a little bit lonely from time to time at this new school – he had left all his previous friends back in Italy – but he had also quickly discovered that making food leads to making friends. And what better way to introduce himself to his floor of the dorms than to supply everyone with fresh pasta?

Feliciano had a roommate in college – a very quiet man who happened to also be a foreign student. His name was Kiku Honda, and the entire time Feliciano had been there, he had said maybe four words. He was mostly composed of nods and shakes of his head, and those were simply to show that he understood and was listening to his chatty roommate. Feliciano knew his name, that he was a freshman as well, and that he was studying for commercial food advertising and more of the artsy-type of culinary arts. However, after the initial meeting and greeting was over with, Feliciano had felt somewhat lonely around Kiku, but that was alright, he had decided. He would make other friends around his school, he was sure of that. He was very likeable, according to his grandfather and all of his old friends back in Italy. And also, according to his grandfather, he was incredibly attractive, due to his _Italian charm _and whatnot_. _Feliciano always found this funny; he had never actually gotten into a relationship before, despite the _oh-so-apparent-flirtatiousness_ that was just _radiating _from his hormone-filled, eighteen-year-old body. Feliciano snorted out a dorky little laugh as he walked on.

He hadn't actually had any classes yet at this point; just orientation-type things and ice breakers and informative assemblies. _How boring_, he would always think as he daydreamt or doodled around on the back of his hand with a pen that he always carried around instead of participating in the various festivities. Perhaps that was the reason he hadn't acquired any friends thus far into his college experience. He didn't mind that too terribly much at the moment; he'd make friends when the time came. For now, he simply hummed along the road, looking forward to officially meeting Monika. He smiled as he remembered her from behind the counter; her hair, her eyes, her skin, her chest—well, maybe he was thinking too much about that, but he shrugged it off with a crude little giggle. As he yawned and stretched in the hot weather, he spotted the young woman he was looking for, and his entire face lit up as he waved to her and hurried over to her.

**o-o-o-o-o**

"Miss Monika, Miss Monika! I found you!" he shouted with all the excitement of a tiny puppy receiving a treat for the very first time. His accent made it sound like he was singing, Monika thought. She hoisted herself off the wall of the bank, still in her uniform, and gave Feliciano a little nod of her head and what she thought was a smile. Feliciano skipped over, closer and closer, until he clasped her shoulders and leaned in close to Monika until she could feel his breath on her neck. Monika's head nearly exploded, and her entire face flushed red at his touch. She managed to stammer out a quick "_what-are-you-doing?_" after a few seconds of flustered gaping. Feliciano froze, just a mere inch or so from Monika's right cheek, his eyes widening as he jumped back and raised his hands in defense, waving frantically as he spoke.

"A—Ah, I'm so sorry! I keep forgetting that I'm not in Italy anymore, and that's how I always greeted everybody there, I've only been here a few days, I'm so sorry! Please don't be angry!" the young man shouted embarrassedly, sweat beading up on his reddened forehead as his speech flew out of his mouth faster than Monika's jumbled mind could comprehend. Monika looked like she had walked in on him changing or something; she had, over the last few years, forgotten that European greetings were much different than American ones. She desperately tried to gather her wits and scrape up a comprehensible response.

"D—Don't worry about it, Feliciano. I came from Europe too...I know about those types of greetings, it just-er...took me off guard! That's it," Monika stuttered out, her cheeks a mere shade of light pink now instead of a furiously-glowing red, "I've been here for such a long time now that I'm forgetting what it's like to be back in Germany."

"Oh, yeah, I forgot that you came from Germany, Miss Monika! Just like Gilbert. I wonder how I never met you before?" Feliciano inquired, a thin finger brushing against his plump lower lip in thought and lingering there even as he continued to speak, "I mean, if you're Gilbert's little sister, you can't be that much older than me, can you? I'm only a little younger than Gil is, I think."

Monika felt her face relax a bit more as she responded. "Gilbert is actually a lot older than me; he's twenty seven right now. He's five years older. Though, he slacked off so much in school that we graduated the same year." Monika even felt herself smiling a little bit at her snarky comment. Feliciano laughed in response, a pure and whole-hearted laugh that made Monika's heart flutter.

"Gilbert always told me stories about high school, and about how he had to stay for so long, but I never thought they were true! Poor Gil! He's such a smart person; I didn't think he'd be that stubborn!" Feliciano said through little fits of giggles that were as innocent as a kindergartener's. He smiled back at Monika as he continued, "I do know that he made as many friends as he could there, though, and he was really good at playing matchmaker."

"...playing matchmaker?" Monika asked with a little cock of her head. She hadn't heard of this side of her brother before. She was genuinely curious now.

"_Sí, sí_!" Feliciano shouted, as his eyebrows jutted upwards in excitement,"Gilbert was pretty much the matchmaker of the school, my brother said! There were a ton of people who got together thanks to Gilbert, tons and tons of people!" Feliciano stopped to take a breath, and then paused to think for a second before chirping up again, "My brother went to the same high school as Gilbert did, did you know? I don't know why _Nonno_ put me in a private school. It made no sense, and I wanted to be in that school with all my brother's friends and all Gilbert's friends." He stuck out his lip a little bit in a childish pout as he shared this story with Monika. He suddenly looked so much younger than eighteen through Monika's eyes, but she was distracted by the fact that this young man who she just met seemed to know more about her own brother than she did. She didn't know quite how to respond, so she simply nodded her head and let him continue.

"...But _Fratello_ really hates Gilbert, he told me."

"What?" Monika suddenly tuned back into their conversation, once again distracted by the fluidness of Feliciano's accented voice. Feliciano's ever-present smile faltered as he spoke and it sent Monika's heart into her throat.

"Lovino always told me that he hated certain people for these really lame reasons. I don't know why he says that, I think it's really mean of him to just decide on things like that," Feliciano sighed and shrugged, "Anyway, _Fratello _isn't here with me right now, so we can go out to lunch, _sí_?" Feliciano smiled adoringly up at Monika, his chestnut eyes reflecting the bright sunlight of the afternoon. Monika swallowed dryly and nodded and the two headed off towards a nearby café. Before they even arrived, Monika insisted that she pay the bill, considering the fact that Feliciano was a college freshman – Monika remembered her days as a college newbie; lots of money and time management issues. Luckily, she had improved at those skills over the years, and had managed to save up more than she needed, which she found very helpful now that she was living on her own. She paid the check as soon as possible, almost right after they had ordered their food, in order to save herself and Feliciano time later on. This earned her a pat on the back from Feliciano, and a little spiel about how she should relax a bit more. She blushed.

**o-o-o-o-o**

"Aah, this is so good, Monika!" Feliciano said in a bubbly tone of voice, a huge smile dancing across his face, "I love pasta; it's my favorite food in the entire world!"

"Why am I not surprised? You really are one hundred percent Italian," Monika smiled a little bit as she slowly ate her own food. Monika wasn't very fond of most foreign foods (besides German cuisine), but she kept that to herself as she picked at her dish. It was something French with lots of vegetables and a red sauce and it wasn't particularly a taste Monika enjoyed, so she distracted herself by gazing at and talking to Feliciano. She finally decided that she should try and break the ice and find out a little bit more about Feliciano. Monika scraped out some questions from the recesses of her mind and cleared her throat. Feliciano looked up with a cute little noise of curiosity.

"So...do you miss anything about your home back in Italy, Feliciano?" Monika asked, immediately hoping that she didn't cross any boundaries from that rather personal question and mentally slapping herself for bringing up something potentially harmful right away after meeting. Feliciano did not seem fazed, however, and his face lit up at her question.

"Have you ever been to Italy, Miss Monika?" he asked earnestly, leaning forward in his seat towards the girl as he spoke, "Germany isn't that far away from Italy; you can fly there in a very short time."

"I've actually never been there. Gilbert went there once, though, he said it was a very nice place," Monika answered, and Feliciano nodded vigorously.

"I remember when Gilbert visited us a few years ago!" he shouted excitedly, spurred by the subject of food in general, "He brought us German desserts during Christmastime. I remember even what they were called; they were called _schokolade und lebkuchen_!" Monika brought her hand to her lips as she smiled a bit wider than she wanted to. Something about the fact that Feliciano had spoken German to her, even if it was just 'chocolate and gingerbread,' had sparked something inside her.

"I remember Gilbert asking me to make those, Feliciano. I never thought I'd meet the person Gilbert took my sweets to. Were they any good?" Monika felt her chest swell with pride after watching Feliciano's jaw drop. He gaped at her in awe, not realizing that she could make such delicious sweets. He, for once, was speechless, and his mouth simply hung open for a few seconds before his smile spread from ear to ear and he suddenly couldn't sit still any longer. It wasn't until exactly three minutes later (noted by Monika) that Feliciano gathered up a coherent response.

"_Grazie, grazie mille_, Miss Monika," Feliciano thanked her wholeheartedly, "Those sweets were the best I've ever had, honestly! Can you teach me to make them someday, please?" His face was full of the purest childish happiness that Monika had seen in a very long time, and it warmed her chest. She nodded, and Feliciano cheered.

"You just have to make me one promise, though, alright?" Monika spoke, though her voice wasn't quite as gruff or cold as it usually was.

"What's that?" Feliciano cocked his head and gave Monika a little smile.

"Please don't call me 'Miss Monika,' just Monika is completely fine with me. You don't have to be formal; we're friends now, aren't we?"

And with this, Feliciano leapt up from his seat and threw his arms around Monika's neck. Monika decided that today was definitely up there in one of the best days of her life, and all that lingered in her mind for the rest of the day was Feliciano. Later that night, Monika reopened that four-sentence story she had started the day she met Feliciano. She laughed, realizing that it had only been two days since then, even though it felt like so much longer. She decided to add a little bit more after she fed Klaus and changed into her pajamas. _ Five more sentences ought to do it_, she thought.

_Today, I visited with Feliciano. Heute besuchte ich Feliciano._

_ I had a wonderful time with him. Ich hatte eine wunderbare Zeit mit ihm._

_ My chocolates and gingerbread were for him. Meine Schokolade und meine Lebkuchen waren für ihn._

_I had no idea! Ich hatte nicht die leiseste Ahnung!_

_ Feliciano's smile was so precious. Felicianos Lächeln __war __sehr süß.__  
_

Monika went to bed with the biggest smile on her face in years that night.

**o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o**

**AN: And thus ends another chapter of Vollständigkeit! I hope you enjoyed Monika's awkwardness and Feliciano's adorableness in this one; I had too much fun portraying Feli in this chapter. He's just so innocent and I adore him. XD**

**The next chapter will most likely be skipping around in time a little bit, just as a heads-up! And the rating may go up for the following chapters from here.**

**I hope to see you there; please read and review! All of your input is appreciated. :)**

**-Maya**


	4. As Time Passes Us By, Pt 1

**A/N: Hello, everyone, and welcome back to chapter 4 of Vollständigkeit! I hope you enjoy, this chapter contains a few triggers, though!**

**WARNING: CHARACTER DEATH**

**WARNING: STRONG LANGUAGE**

**Just as a warning for those who feel uncomfortable reading those things. Anyway, please enjoy! This chapter will be skipping around in time a bit, so it'll be a little bit messier when compared to the other chapters, but please bear with me and enjoy this chapter!**

**FYI: The years noted further ahead in the chapter are school years – they start with each summer of the year.**

**o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o**

"Hello, how can I help you today?" Monika said without looking up from her computer screen – she had been working on a few important tasks that she had accidentally put off earlier in the day due to her bad daydreaming habit. She _really_ needed to work on that. However, her work was immediately put on hold when she heard the airy laughter that she knew all-too-well belonged to Feliciano. She whipped her head around at the pleasant sound and gave the red-headed young man a tired smile, which he promptly returned.

"What can I do for you today, Feliciano?" Monika asked quietly, "You do know that, as much as I want to, I can't chat with you right now, don't you?" Feliciano nodded with another quiet laugh before sliding a thin envelope across the counter.

"A transaction, please, euros to dollars," Feliciano chirped in his happy-go-lucky manner. Monika nodded once and opened up the envelope, revealing one euro – nothing else. She cocked an eyebrow sarcastically at Feliciano, who simply looked at her earnestly in return, responding with, "Just that, please, Monika."

Monika confusedly slipped one dollar bill and a few coins into the envelope and returned it back to Feliciano, and followed up by asking him why he was making such a small conversion. He giggled and took the envelope before cheerfully answering her question.

"There are two reasons. The first reason that I'm doing this is because I wanted to come and talk to you, and you're always at the bank, so I thought this would be an easy way to be able to do that. The second reason is because I'm gonna save this money," Feliciano paused for a second before continuing, "I'm gonna put this money into a box, and not touch the box until I graduate from my college; in three years. So I'm gonna have a lot of money in that box so I can buy something very special...but also really expensive. I think this is the best way to do it, since I can't really get it until I'm out of college anyway."

Monika grinned at him from behind her window, and nodded her head a little, just enough to show him that she understood. She realized now that Feliciano would be coming in more often, most likely daily, to make his conversions and withdrawals. She realized that Feliciano was coming into the bank just to see her, and her heart fluttered in her chest. The blonde banker also wondered what Feliciano was saving for, somewhere in the back of her mind, and she concluded that he was most likely going to buy a plane ticket back to Italy or a car for himself or something along those lines. Her mind even went to the extent of wondering if he was going to buy a lifetime supply of pasta or something crazy like that, and those thoughts entertained her long after Feliciano left the bank. _He really is something else_, she thought to herself, mouthing out the words as they formed in her mind.

At least this gave Monika something to look forward to every day, even if it was only for a few minutes. Seeing Feliciano never had failed – and never would fail, she decided – to make her day a little bit brighter. And every day, without fail, Feliciano poked his head through the glass doors and made his conversion – one dollar and twenty-eight cents a day.

**o-o-o-o-o**

_Year 1: Autumn. October 29._

**o-o-o-o-o**

Monika shivered as the door opened; the draft blowing nippy air through the building and stinging Monika's ears. She would have to start wearing bulkier clothing, now that the weather was getting cooler. Though it wasn't even November yet, Monika was quite cold. She much preferred the warm weather.

"Good morning, Monika," Feliciano's normally happy voice croaked scratchily as he trudged over to Monika's window. He was wearing a long jacket over his chef whites; he must have come in before his classes had started. He looked as happy as ever, though, despite the fact that he had a scarf wrapped around face, concealing everything but his eyes. His face was bright red and he was shivering. He coughed wetly into the scarf several times before handing over his daily envelope.

"Are you not feeling well today, Feliciano?" Monika asked as she purposely took her time exchanging the money. There was no one at the bank at this hour yet anyway; it was only around 9 in the morning. There was time to chat.

Feliciano shook his head with a sniff, and looked up at Monika with watery brown eyes. _He looks awful_, Monika thought, but kept herself from saying out loud. She slipped the envelope back into his hand, an encouraging smile spreading across her face as she did this. Feliciano cocked an eyebrow tiredly.

"If you've got time, take some cold medicine. They've got to have some at your school's nurse's office. If you need to, take a day off and ask someone in your class for their notes and for the homework. Alright?" Monika hoped she didn't sound too much like an overprotective mother as she spoke, waggling her finger for emphasis, "If you're sick, you shouldn't be outside in this weather or exerting yourself in your classes. And you certainly shouldn't be going to a cooking class with a cold like you've got. You could get someone else sick or taint the food."

The entire time Monika was talking, Feliciano simply looked up and blinked at her. His throat was raw, which was the only reason why he wasn't thanking her or babbling away like he usually did. He pulled down the scarf and smiled at Monika, letting her know that he understood and that he was appreciative of her words. Monika returned it, and nodded to him once as he waved her goodbye. She hoped he could take care of himself, and she ended up calling him once she knew his classes were over to see if he was any better. He was. She smiled in relief.

**o-o-o-o-o**

_Year 1: Spring. April 2_.

**o-o-o-o-o**

The rain was absolutely pouring today. Buckets upon buckets of rain dumped down from the sky and splashed down into the river of a sidewalk outside. Monika could hardly see people approaching the bank – she usually could only make out features once they've walked inside. The floor was muddy and wet from customers walking in with squishy shoes and soaked clothing. It was almost time for Monika to be heading home, when her last customer approached the door. The silhouette of this person was strange, though, it didn't even look human; it had far too many limbs and a strange lumpy mass of a body. Monika squinted at the door before realizing that it wasn't one person, but two – one had helped the other into the building. It was Feliciano and another person. But Feliciano was on crutches, and he looked absolutely miserable, his smile contrasting beautifully with his soaked and shivering frame. He hobbled over towards the counter, the black haired man who helped him in following suit.

"Feliciano!" Monika shouted before she knew she had spoken, and she quickly leaned forward, obviously worried about the wet red-haired man. He sniffed and laughed a little bit.

"I'm okay, Monika, I promise," Feliciano giggled as he shivered from his rain-soaked body, "I'm just a little bit cold from the rain, that's all!"

"I'm not concerned about that, Feliciano, why are you on crutches?" Monika asked concernedly, her icy blue eyes piercing through Feliciano's soft hazel ones. Feliciano almost flinched.

"I—I was late for a class because I overslept and I was running but I tripped because my shoes didn't have any traction and the floors were kinda wet and I fell down a flight of stairs and I sprained my ankle and now I'm on crutches for a while..." Feliciano mumbled in one long slur, nervous about how Monika would react to this. His eyes were wide as he spoke, and Monika's soon widened as well.

"S-So I had my roommate Kiku help me get here...you know, so I could make my transaction..." Feliciano finally finished, his voice barely more than a whisper. There was a silence in the air lasting for several minutes that was so thick that Kiku swore he could cut it with a knife. So he said nothing, and simply stood stoically next to Feliciano.

"...What the hell, Feliciano?" Monika said in more of a demanding tone than anything, "Why were you running down a wet staircase!? You know that's dangerous! And look, you hurt yourself doing that!" Monika's stern expression had turned into a glare, and Feliciano averted his eyes, his face filled with a childish sort of guilt. '_How is this kid possibly eighteen?_' Monika's frazzled mind bounced around as she continued lecturing Feliciano, pointing out every little thing he had done wrong and shoving it into his face, throwing in a German swearword every once in a while for the hell of it.

By the time Monika was through, Feliciano's head was lowered, the envelope containing his one euro was on the ground, and his body was simply draped over the crutches as if they were the one thing stopping him from crumbling to the floor. The other young man next to Feliciano looked surprised as his stare moved from Feliciano to Monika. He didn't say a word, and Monika was glad that he didn't. Feliciano's roommate mumbled something about giving them a bit of space as he quickly backed up and retreated towards the bank's small lounge area, obviously intimidated by the blonde banker who was walking out from behind the counter and towards Feliciano. He didn't look up, and Monika instantly felt horrible about her lecture when she noticed that _those were tears dripping from Feliciano's face, not raindrops._

"..._Shit_," Monika mumbled as her mind reeled with a sudden surge of emotions. Her expression immediately softened, an almost maternal instinct coming out as she slowly approached the shivering younger man. His knuckles were white around the handles on his crutches, and his hair was sticking to his face, all except for that one little curl that Monika always found endearing. She leaned down slightly to try and look at Feliciano, who only turned his head away from the woman.

"Feliciano..." Monika sighed, and, seeing no other solution to this sticky situation of hers, she slowly lifted a hand and placed it on Feliciano's cheek, surprised by how cold it was. He flinched at her touch, but Monika turned his head to face her regardless. He was a mess, and Monika couldn't help but feel bad. Feliciano wouldn't meet her eyes, even while standing right in front of her, face-to-face.

Monika sighed and pulled the young man into a cold embrace, which Feliciano promptly returned. It only lasted a few seconds, but it was the best Monika had felt in weeks, and Feliciano felt the same. They both apologized, Monika for yelling and Feliciano for being clumsy and emotional, and they parted ways once more, both feeling warm, despite the pouring rain.

**o-o-o-o-o**

_Year 2: Winter. January 17._

**o-o-o-o-o**

This winter hadn't been nearly as rainy as the last, and Monika was very thankful for that. The skies were grey today, but Monika didn't mind, as long as it wasn't windy or rainy outside, Monika was happy. Today had been a surprisingly good day thus far – Feliciano had already come and shared his happiness for the day and gone, and it was a slower day at the bank, which gave Monika time to focus on other things, such as organizing her desk and dabbling around with poetry, something she'd always wanted to experiment around with. She wasn't terribly displeased with the results, and they definitely helped kill time between customers until work was over. During her usual bike ride home, the sun had even peeked out from behind the clouds a little bit; its rays hitting the back of Monika's neck, heating the skin there and spreading warmth throughout Monika's entire body. She smiled, gliding carefully through puddles as she navigated her way back to her small flat.

And who should be waiting there for her but her brother?

"Gilbert!" Monika shouted, in a mix of surprise and happiness as she hopped off her bike and walked it over to her older brother. He smiled his cocky grin back at her, running over to her and lifting her up in a bone-crushing hug, both of them laughing there for a few minutes before heading inside the little house and catching up on their separate lives.

"So don't tell this to Feli or he'll just blab to his brother, and that wouldn't be awesome at all," Gilbert chatted away to his sister, excited to be in America, any jet lag extremely non-apparent in his voice and in his laugh, "But remember my friend Antonio? Well, Toni told me he's gonna ask Lovino to marry him pretty soon."

"Really?" Monika's eyes lit up at the topic of marriage. She had hoped to get married since she was a tiny little thing, and she was always enthralled whenever her brother or her grandfather or her parents talked about it. She locked eyes with her brother as he spoke.

"Totally! He's even getting a custom-made ring and everything for that little shit," Gilbert laughed, "He's the most explosive human being to ever walk this planet; I don't know how Toni deals with him. Lovi's always yelling at everybody for literally no reason, and he can go from being enraged and screaming at you to laughing on the floor with you to blubbering on your shoulder in, like, twenty seconds."

Monika laughed; she had heard from Feliciano that his brother wasn't the most emotionally stable of people. At least he'd be happy when Antonio proposed to him, right?

Gilbert and Monika continued chatting happily for a while, shared a meal together, and soon headed to bed for the night, their stomachs full and their hearts swelled with happiness that comes with having someone who really cares about you and is always willing to listen to you and talk to you and laugh with you, no matter what or why or when. Monika was fast asleep, dreaming something about being back in Germany, when the phone woke her up with a start. She looked over at the nightstand, and picked up the phone with an irritated groan.

"Hello, Beilschmidt residence."

"I am sorry to be calling at such an early hour, but I have some urgent news for Miss Monika and Mister Gilbert Beilschmidt."

Monika didn't recognize the voice; it sounded low pitched and gruff and had an even thicker German accent than she and her brother both did. She wondered who was calling, especially since it was almost 4 AM.

"This is Monika Beilschmidt. Is there something concerning my brother and I? And may I ask who is calling?" she mumbled, a bit clearer than her last sentence.

"This is The _Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin _calling to inform you about your grandfather, Mr. Beilschmidt, who has been staying under our care."

Monika swallowed dryly. _Charité_ was the hospital that her brother had placed their grandfather into as of a few months ago, when Gilbert was unable to continue taking care of him as often as he needed. She couldn't find the words to say, and fumbled with them for a few seconds before finally coming up with a coherent response.

"Is...he doing alright?" Monika almost didn't want to know the answer, and the pause on the other line didn't do her any justice. She could feel her throat tightening.

"Mr. Beilschmidt passed away as of around 11:50 PM last night. All remaining family of Mr. Beilschmidt was to be contacted and informed of this news. We sincerely apologize for your loss, Miss Beilschmidt."

Monika couldn't breathe. She couldn't breathe, couldn't move, and couldn't think. All she could do was sit there in her bed and hold the phone shakily to her ear.

"Once again, we apologize both for your loss and for waking you at such an early hour. I will leave you to your night. We wish you the best of luck, Miss Beilschmidt." And there was a click from the other line, and Monika dropped the phone with a clatter, the receiver quickly following suit. Monika was paralyzed, she couldn't move, her eyes were wide open and piercing through the darkness of her bedroom with sadness and fear and sheer loneliness. She felt cold, as if the room had suddenly dropped about thirty degrees in temperature, and she felt like she was going to be ill. And then, with a sharp little gasp, she remembered that Gilbert was staying with her for this week. Her body remembered how to move and she broke into a run towards the guest bedroom, dashing through the door and leaning down close to her sleeping brother and shaking his shoulder while frantically whispering his name.

"Unnhhh...god_dammit_Moni, whaddaya need...?" Gilbert answered half-consciously, blinking slowly up at her. She took a sharp breath that caught in her throat, and bit down on her lower lip; her face was hot and she could feel tears welling up in her tired eyes. Unable to sense this disturbance and unable to hear any sort of answer from his sister, Gilbert reached over and flicked on the bedside lamp. "C'mon, Moni, what's the ma—_Monika_?"

Gilbert was suddenly very awake and sitting upright when he noticed that his precious little sister was trembling and had tears in her eyes. The last time he remembered her looking like this was in high school, after they lost their parents. He looked concernedly in her direction and patted the bedside next to him, gesturing her to come and sit, which she promptly did. She attempted to hide her emotions and failed miserably; Gilbert draping an arm around her gently as he finally spoke up.

"Moni, what's wrong? Did you have a nightmare or something?" Gilbert asked. Monika desperately wished that was all that was wrong. She tried hard to keep her voice steady as she spoke, swiping away any stray tears that dared run down her pale cheeks.

"Did...you hear the phone ringing, just now?" Gilbert shook his head, and Monika didn't pay him any mind, "Well...it was _Charité_...the hospital that _Opa _was—" Monika covered her mouth with one hand, unable to continue talking for the moment, and simply sat there, trying to breathe normally. Gilbert's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates and, for once, he knew exactly what Monika was trying to say.

"M—Moni...? Do...you mean...?" Gilbert looked mortified.

Monika shut her eyes tightly, squeezing tears out of the corners of her eyes, and nodded her head, leaning over forward in grief. Gilbert felt his own eyes stinging as he quickly pulled Monika into another hug – a much gentler and more comforting hug than his usual bear-like technique. He pulled Monika's head to his chest, tugged the blankets over them both and held her close; his arms were both wrapped around her tightly, one resting on the back of her blonde head and the other on her shoulder. And in that one horrible moment, she couldn't help but cry there into her brother's embrace, no matter how much she told herself she would never do that again now that she was an independent adult and living on her own in America.

But honestly, as she soaked her brother's chest and her brother soaked her shoulder in return, she was _incredibly_ grateful to be with him tonight.

**o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o**

**A/N: Thank you all for reading this chapter of Vollständigkeit! I hope you enjoyed, despite the ending being super angsty. I promise, it'll get better with the next chapter~ :D**

**See you guys next chapter! Please read and review!**

**-Maya**


	5. Big Brother's Big Day

**A/N: Woah, dude, two chapters in one week! :D This is exciting! I'm being so productive when I have a million other things to do at school, but that's to be expected, isn't it? Hahaha, anyway, this chapter's mostly fluff!**

**And surprise! This chapter focuses mainly on Lovino and Antonio!**

**Enjoy the fluff!**

**o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o**

_Year 3: Autumn. September 12._

**o-o-o-o-o**

Gilbert had returned back to Germany only about a month ago, and he did so with incredible reluctance. He kept going back to Monika and asking if she was alright, if she'd be okay by herself, and Monika always responded with her same not-quite-irritated phrase, "I'm _fine _now, Gil, you can go back home." And so, after almost a year, Gilbert returned back home to Germany, leaving Monika's house surprisingly quiet and shockingly empty. She sighed, willing herself not to think of things like that, and focused on finally cleaning the guest room that Gilbert stayed in for all this time. She had put it off for long enough, Monika decided, as she cleaned the room until it shone.

Later that day, she went back to work, as usual. She had taken a few days off after her grandfather passed away, but she had been working hard for the past year and even had gotten offered a promotion, but she politely declined and asked if she could stay at her window. They agreed and still gave her a better pay, and she was quite pleased with it. She still looked forward to seeing Feliciano's cheery face walking through the door every day; it never got old, and she never got tired of it. He was her joy, he was her light, and he was her everything, Monika decided. She would never tell him that, not in a thousand years, but she could think that all she wanted. And oh, did those thoughts make her happy. She liked to think that he felt the same towards her. Those thoughts gave her pale cheeks some color, and sometimes they spiraled into enough energy to cause Monika to flop her head down onto her desk and vibrate with withheld excitement and childlike joy and crumple a paper or two in her large hands. She sometimes received strange looks, but she ignored them and simply pretended nothing had happened most of the time. Monika smiled a lot more often now than she used to.

Feliciano, as always, walked in through the door. He had gotten taller since he first started school; he was twenty years old now, but he still acted the same as he did when Monika had met him. His voice hadn't lost its childish ring or its beautiful accent, and his hair, albeit a little longer than before, still had that little tuft that refused to cooperate with the rest of his copper-toned locks. Feliciano had definitely hit his rebellious phase somewhere in that time; he had pierced his ears at one point, but he wasn't wearing any earrings today. Monika couldn't help but giggle imagining Feliciano getting his ears pierced. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she wondered if he had cried after getting them done. He probably did. She shrugged that off as he walked inside.

Her smile immediately lit up after he entered through the doors.

Feliciano was dressed in almost all black today, a fancy-looking tailored suit with a purple tie and white gloves and a black vest and a white dress shirt and shined shoes and everything. He looked exceptionally beautiful, even with his tie crooked and his vest missing a button.

He smiled. Monika couldn't help but smile back.

"You look b—nice today, Feliciano," Monika caught herself before she finished her sentence; her cheeks flushed red, "What's the occasion?"

"Good morning, Monika! I just bought this a while ago and I got so excited that I wanted to wear it already!" Feliciano shouted as he quickly handed over his daily envelope, "Guess what? I have a second envelope for you today! And it's a hint as to why I got this outfit, too." And, just like he had said, he slipped another envelope across the counter towards Monika. This one had her name on it, and it was in a fancy-looking envelope sealed with wax that had been imprinted with a design that vaguely resembled a tomato. Feliciano giggled.

"I dunno if I'm allowed to give that to you, but I really, really want you to read it and I hope you say yes," Feliciano babbled, his cheeks rosy with happiness, holding his breath after Monika took the letter, waiting until she had read it to continue talking.

Monika's heart skipped a beat as she opened up the letter and read it. It was an invitation with fancy lettering and an intricate design down the side that read as follows:

_You are cordially invited to celebrate_

_the wedding of_

_**Antonio Fernandez Carriedo**_

_and_

_**Lovino Romano Vargas**_

_on Saturday morning_

_November the 12__th_

_at 10 o'clock_

_2600 N. Winchester Ave._

_Followed by a reception_

_RSVP at xxx-xxx-xxxx_

Monika nearly fainted. She was invited to a wedding. By Feliciano. Her cheeks turned several different shades of pink before her eyes shifted over to Feliciano, who was smiling from ear to ear, absolutely ecstatic about this event. Monika stuttered out a few nonsensical sounds before she actually spoke.

"Y—You're inviting me...to your brother's wedding?" she finally got out of her throat. Feliciano nodded excitedly as he responded, bouncing on his heels.

"Antonio said I could invite you, and Gilbert said that he wasn't gonna let you miss it anyway," Feliciano exclaimed in a bubbly fashion, "I can't wait for this, I'm so excited! Lovino hasn't even graduated yet and he's gonna be married! He actually came and visited me at my dorm the day that Antonio asked him to marry him, and I guess Toni did it in the craziest way possible, 'cause _Fratello_ just busted into my dorm room with his face all red and his hair messed up and his tie on a little crooked and he was so worried but he was smiling and he cried a little bit and I hugged him and he said..."

Monika was laughing. She was absolutely giddy about the fact that she was going to attend an actual wedding, let alone one with Feliciano. She was going to have to get a dress to wear, and get ready for it probably a day or two in advance, and she was going to have an excuse to _act feminine_. She loved this. She was positively reeling with excitement, and she was surprised she wasn't outwardly losing her cool. Feliciano laughed right along with her, smiling expectantly over at her.

Monika RSVP'd right then and there, behind the counter, and Feliciano cheered.

**o-o-o-o-o**

_Year 3: Winter. November 13._

**o-o-o-o-o**

_Today was the best day of my life_, Monika thought to herself as she spun into her bedroom, her light blue dress (that Feliciano helped her choose, nonetheless) swirling out around her, feeling incredibly girly today, more so than she had ever felt in the past. Despite the fact that the wedding was over now, she couldn't help but express her excitement over the fact that she looked like a girl _should_ look, in her mind, and she looked good like that. Her short, blonde hair had been cut and styled in a sort of pixie-cut, the front being much longer than the back, and her bangs were side-swept. Her blue eyes looked even bluer from the make-up applied carefully around them, and her lips were light pink and shimmery. Her skin didn't quite look as pale as it usually did, and her cheeks were rosy and the haircut showed off her neck and her jawline while her dress complemented her body perfectly. She wore only a necklace as far as jewelry went, and she had her nails done the day before. Monika felt beautiful as she looked at herself in the mirror, and she watched herself smile, realizing how easy it was now to smile than it had been a few years ago, before Feliciano appeared in her life. She eventually washed her face and changed her clothes before flopping down into her bed, replaying the events of the marriage in her head.

**o-o-o-o-o**

_"Mo-ni-ka!" Feliciano sang as he knocked on the door of her flat, picking her up so they could go to the wedding together. He was a little bit early, yes, but he figured that the earlier they left, the easier of a time they'd have getting there. And when Monika opened the door and revealed herself, albeit reluctantly, to Feliciano, a huge smile spread across his face and he looked like he had discovered the secrets of life or seen an angel or something like that. He simply looked at her, taking in every detail, for a few minutes, before opening up the car door for her and ushering her in. Monika quickly followed, lifting her dress a little bit as she climbed into the passenger seat of Feliciano's car. They soon were off towards the wedding site, both simply radiating with excitement and eagerness._

**o~o**

_ After all the meeting and greeting was over, everybody was quickly seated in arranged pews of what seemed like a church building, but in actuality, it was a sort of recreational center there in New York, not far from Monika's house or Lovino's school. There were so many people, Monika discovered as she looked around, noting how many family members and friends Antonio and Lovino both seemed to have. She felt a little nervous as the wedding began, but as she sat there a few pews behind Feliciano, she felt all her nerves vanish as she realized that she was sitting in her first wedding ceremony in her entire life. The doors opened, and the music began, and all heads turned to face the flustered, white-clad Italian standing in the doorway, with who Monika assumed was his grandfather linking arms with him and smiling the biggest and warmest smile that Monika had ever seen on anyone else._

o~o

_"...I, Antonio Fernandez Carriedo, take Lovino Vargas to be my husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, through sickness and in health, to love and cherish from this day forth, until death do us part."_

_ He was smiling the whole time he spoke, never faltering as the words glided through the air in his Spanish accent, happiness shining out from his face and his smile and his eyes and his voice. He had taken Lovino's hands in his, and Lovino's head was down; he was getting emotional and he hadn't even spoken yet. Monika watched and listened attentively to them as they spoke their vows. The reader of the vows turned towards Lovino, who lifted his head just a little bit, looking embarrassed and teary-eyed and red-faced and happy._

_ "I...Lovino Vargas...take Antonio Fernandez Carriedo to be my husband...to-to have and to hold from this day forward..." Lovino sniffed and exhaled sharply, "for better or for worse...for richer or for poorer...through-through sickness and in health, to love and cherish from this day forth...until death do us part."_

**o~o**

"_Antonio Fernandez Carriedo, do you take Lovino Vargas to be your lawfully wedded husband?" Antonio's smile was breathtaking._

"_Sí, I do." He said it without any hesitation, any fear; just pure happiness. Monika was so surprised he could be this strong; just from watching this ceremony she had become misty-eyed._

"_And Lovino Vargas, do you also take Antonio Fernandez Carriedo to be your lawfully wedded husband?" Lovino hesitated, as the crowd all seemed to think he would. Monika looked over at Feliciano, who had his hands laced together, staring straight at his brother, looking quite worriedly at him. Lovino's breath came quickly, and he nodded jerkily._

"_I—I do..." he mumbled. Feliciano gasped in delight; that smile spreading across his face once again. Lovino lifted a hand to swipe once at his eyes before looking back up at Antonio with what he knew wasn't meant to be a glare._

"_You may kiss the groom."_

_And so they did. Lips met, and cheers echoed throughout the building until ears were ringing and one voice could not be separated from any other. Monika, as well as everyone else, stood up and cheered, and both she and Feliciano were in tears, but of the happier variety. Everything had gone just the way it should've, and it was truly beautiful._

**o~o**

_Later on in the festivities, when everybody was just a little tired and just a little tipsy, after all the games ended and the visiting and congratulating began, Monika decided it was best to speak to Lovino about his brother. He was bitter at first towards her, treating her the same way he did Gilbert and throwing insults and jarring curse words her way, but when Antonio returned to his side, all the tension seemed to vanish into thin air. They soon talked about the marriage, they swapped congratulations back and forth, and finally, Monika brought up the topic of Feliciano, and Lovino, being a bit loose-lipped from wine, blurted out the first thing on his mind._

"_If you wanna date my little brother, you'd better treat him nice or you're going _down_."_

_Antonio laughed, Monika's face flushed, and Lovino smirked. It wasn't a no, was it? It certainly didn't sound like a no to Monika._

**o~o**

_Near the end of the celebration, Lovino had a bouquet of marigolds in his hands, and turned around so he could throw it over his shoulders towards the group of women there, in which Monika was in the middle of. She knew she was supposed to try and catch it, but there were so many more women here than she expected; how was she to even get remotely close to it? Antonio, a little ways away, had purchased a garter, despite the fact that Lovino had told him not to, and was readying himself to throw it towards the men attending the wedding._

_3, 2, 1, throw._

_Feliciano wound up with the garter tangled in the stubborn little tuft of hair on the side of his head, wincing as he attempted to get it off._

_And Monika, thanks to what she thought was her hard work at the gym, leapt up and caught the bouquet of marigolds, a few of them falling from the plastic and settling upon her head and shoulders._

_The two looked at each other, a silence that begged to be broken dancing through the air, and they laughed. They both wondered if, in the back of their minds, the smiling duo up on the altar would soon be them. They both couldn't stop smiling for long after Feliciano dropped Monika back at home._

**o-o-o-o-o**

Monika opened her eyes and looked back up at the ceiling, then at the marigolds sitting in a vase on her bedside table. She was incredibly happy right now; her heart still racing with the excitement of her first wedding celebration, let alone the wedding of Feliciano's older brother, someone she thought she knew quite well. She had just attended a wedding with Feliciano. Feliciano had caught the garter, and she had caught the bouquet. That was supposed to mean that she and Feliciano would both be next to be wed, Monika had told herself, remembering those stories her mother told her back in Germany when she was growing up, where there were couples tied together by fate, destined to be wed, and all that clichéd and joyous nonsense. She hoped that, one day, she might be able to have her own wedding. _Maybe even with Feliciano_, she thought as she closed her eyes, _isn't that a pretty thought to sleep on?_

**o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o**

**A/N: I hope you enjoyed this fluffy chapter! I love Spamano, it's up there with my favorite Hetalia couples, hehehe. This chapter was super fun to write too.**

**I wrote this chapter also to apologize to anybody who was upset by the angsty last chapter. XD Though, when Maya writes, angst is usually the topic, or prevalent throughout the fic, regardless of characters/plot/etc. There will be more angst next chapter, just a warning. *shot***

**I hope you enjoyed! Please read and review! :D**

**-Maya**


	6. As Time Passes Us By, Pt 2

**A/N: Well, this is most likely going to be the final chapter of Vollständigkeit, ladies and gents! It's got lots of drama and lots of fluff, and I hope you enjoy the rest of my fanficiton!**

**WARNING: CHARACTER DEATH**

**That is all. I hope you enjoy!**

**o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o**

_Year 3: Winter. January 17._

**o-o-o-o-o**

Today was a lonely day for Monika. The skies were partly cloudy, with little rays of sunlight peeking out, and shallow puddles scattering the ground, just like _that_ day. Monika wondered if God did this on purpose, as some sort of revenge for something she had done wrong in the past. It was starting to drizzle down rain, almost mist-like in the crisp morning air, as she rode her bike to work with a little less vigor than usual; doing well to keep the tiny bud of sadness in her chest from blossoming. She could not even visit her own grandfather's grave today, a full year after his death, no matter how much she wished she could go back there with her brother and say the few words that she could before she'd break. Monika thought about her brother, her strong and brave and powerful older brother, who would kneel at his tombstone and try not to cry and fail miserably as he lied down a forget-me-not onto the dirt, and how she could not be there for him like he was for her. She felt her throat tighten and she quickly shrugged away that subject, focusing on her upcoming day today – she would see Feliciano. Feliciano always brought her happiness, and today would be no exception.

And of course, today was an exception.

Instead of the younger, the elder Vargas brother came walking into the bank with an envelope today. Monika noticed the silver tinted ring around his fourth finger as he slipped the envelope across the counter without so much as a hello. She quickly made the transaction, but as she was handing it back, her curiosity got the better of her and she shattered the glass silence between them.

"Where's Feliciano?" she asked, trying not to come off as being too worried, at least, not on the outside. Lovino averted his eyes. He looked angry.

"Outside. He refused to come in and made me do it," Lovino answered hesitantly, his words short and concise, and his body language screaming '_let me be, leave me alone, today isn't the day for this_.' Monika knew there was something wrong.

"What happened to him?" she inquired, pressing further at a matter she knew she shouldn't, especially not with this brother. He glared up at her. "Is he not feeling well?"

"Why don't you just _fucking ask him_ yourself?" Lovino snapped, his response more of a demand than a question. Monika noticed that his eyes were red; she deduced that he'd been crying, and not that long ago either. And if Lovino was upset, that usually meant that Feliciano was also upset. Monika nodded, thanked Lovino, and requested her daily break, though she had only just arrived in. She thanked the lord that they gave her that ten minute break, and she slipped out the back door, hunting for Feliciano.

It didn't take her long; the sniffling and hiccupping quickly gave him away. His back was leaning heavily against the building and his face was buried in his hands and Monika's heart sank down to the pit of her stomach after hearing him. She knew this wasn't a good day after all, and she slowly approached the trembling young man. She put a hand on his shoulder, but he didn't respond. Monika's body felt stiff, and her heart felt like ice, but she pressed on, and urged an answer or at least a response out of Feliciano.

"Feliciano?" Monika nearly whispered, her voice sounding much more caring than usual. Feliciano jolted his head up at her voice and met her eyes, his cheeks and hands soaked with tears that clung to his eyelashes and made little trails down to his chin. He held his breath as Monika's expression changed from one of worry to one of surprise. He didn't blink, he didn't move, he didn't breathe. And Monika knew that look, she knew that feeling. She reached up and placed a gentle hand on his right cheek, swiping away the tears there with her thumb, and Feliciano shut his eyes tightly at the gesture.

"I-I should get back to-to my brother," Feliciano choked out between breaths, "He's gonna be...he's gonna be mad at me for taking this-this long—"

"...Are you alright, Feliciano?" Monika finally asked, interrupting Feliciano after his weak attempt at getting away from her, and despite her inquiry, she knew that, without a doubt, Feliciano was _not_ alright. Monika was genuinely concerned about Feliciano, and she needed to let him know that she was someone he could trust; someone that he could come to if he needed to talk or to embrace or to cry on, or anything, really. Monika needed to help Feliciano. What kind of a...friend was she if she didn't? She waited there until the trembling young man could bring himself to answer her question.

Feliciano mumbled something intelligible that was most likely in Italian and then his composure completely broke. He threw his arms around Monika and buried his face into her chest and took heaving breaths, coughing out loud sobs that racked through his body. Monika was nearly having a heart attack as she stood there with Feliciano clinging to her and sobbing into her like the world was ending. She quickly looked around and was fortunate enough to spot Lovino walking out towards them. He soon heard Feliciano, though, and his facial expression softened the slightest bit. Monika met his sad eyes and mouthed out "_What happened?_" Her facial expression looked mortified. Lovino's expression softened further at her worry, and he suddenly looked depressed instead of angry. Monika's heart was pounding in her throat in anticipation for his answer, but when he did speak, it did nothing to soothe her nerves.

"_Nonno_, our grandfather, died yesterday...he was the only family we had left," Lovino slowly answered, biting his lip and suppressing the powerful wave of emotions that had shot through his body while he spoke, "He...he just..._died_. He was fine yesterday; I just talked to him on the phone..." Lovino shook his head with a quiet "_cazzo_" as his voice cracked and his head lowered. He jerked his body around and made a quick break for it, and brushed past his brother and Monika, away from them, away from the emotion, and away from the pain. Feliciano trembled against Monika; his body weak and his heart fragile, and Monika was dumbstruck.

It took her a few seconds to bring herself to wrap her arms around Feliciano; to hold his head to her chest and to rest her other hand against his upper back and to pull him closer, to think of her brother and the way he treated her when their grandfather passed away today, one year ago. It was enough to bring bitter tears to Monika's eyes, holding her wonderful and pure-hearted Feliciano as he wept his heart out into her chest. She missed her grandfather, he missed his grandfather, and they both most likely had no way to go back to the countries that their elders were being buried in. So all they could do was accept what little comfort they could both get, whether it be from a sibling or from a friend. Monika rubbed Feliciano's back comfortingly, not saying a word, until Feliciano managed to look back up at her. Monika smiled an incredibly sad smile as she mumbled out anything she could think of.

"Do you want to know a secret, Feliciano?" Monika asked, praying that her tears would not fall, and Feliciano nodded with a sniff.

"S—Si, Monika."

"I...don't know if this will help you or not," Monika started, surprised by how heavy her chest felt during this conversation, "But one year ago, exactly today...I lost _Opa_ too. My grandfather."

Feliciano's swollen eyes widened and Monika nodded a little bit.

"It was during the night, while my brother was visiting America. I answered the phone at four in the morning and it was the hospital he was staying at, in Germany, telling me that he was dead. I remember not being able to breathe for a few moments after hearing that," Monika continued, her voice fighting to steady itself, "But then I remembered that my brother was right down the hall, and I woke him up and I couldn't even tell him what happened without losing my composure..."

"Did-Did you cry for him too, Monika...?" Feliciano asked as he swiped at his eyes. Monika nodded.

"We both did, Feliciano," she said as she bit her lip, feeling herself getting misty-eyed yet again, and Feliciano's eyes widened up at Monika. "And I'm sure that today, my brother is crying in front of his grave..." Monika blinked quickly, but not quickly enough, as one tear rolled down her right cheek, which she brushed away as soon as it fell. Fresh tears cascaded down Feliciano's cheeks as he saw Monika dry her eyes, and he reached up and placed a hand upon her cheek like she had, just minutes before.

"...So we're in the same boat...aren't we, Monika...?" Feliciano managed to say through desperate attempts to catch his breath, and Monika nodded once more, "...I'm really glad you came."

"What?" Monika asked, looking back down at the younger man shaking in front of her.

"F-Fratello doesn't like people to be around him when-when he's upset," Feliciano informed Monika, "He...likes to be by himself. But-But I don't think that's very good for him...I hope Antonio can hug him and kiss him and help him deal with this...I'm wo-worried about him."

Monika was amazed at how Feliciano could be so undoubtedly caring about his older brother, even when his grandfather had just died _and_ his brother had never treated him with much respect anyway, from what she'd gathered from Gilbert. Feliciano was a loving creature, a caring one, someone who believed that hugs and kisses and happiness would actually make a big enough difference to change lives. And for the most part, he had changed Monika's. His smile and his positivity and his optimism had penetrated through Monika's body and into her very soul, the part of her that knew that Feliciano would make her day a little brighter. She had known him for three years now, three years in which every single day, Feliciano had come in to see her. Some days were longer visits than others, some days were harder than others, and some days were more wonderful than others – Monika couldn't decide which this day was as she continued to gaze down at Feliciano, until finally, breaking every rule and guideline and law of her character, she leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss to Feliciano's forehead, and dried his cheeks.

"I promise, things get easier, Feliciano," Monika whispered as she looked him in the eye, "I have to get back to the bank now, but I'm going to be out of here around four in the afternoon, okay? If you need me, don't hesitate to call or to text."

Feliciano blushed. He looked down, sniffled a little, and then nodded, the tiniest smile reappearing on his face where it belonged. Monika's heart swelled as she gave him one last hug goodbye, and slowly let him hurry back over to his brother. She walked inside with the biggest smile that she had ever expressed, and though it frightened several of her coworkers, she didn't care anymore. She had helped Feliciano, she had helped him regain that happiness when he needed it the most, and she was the one who he trusted enough to open up to and to trust with his pain and his tears and his emotions. And Monika was so, so glad that he did.

Monika's phone vibrated just a few minutes later, and she promptly pulled her phone out and answered it.

[_1 new message from: Feliciano Vargas_

_ Thank you so much, grazie mille! I really needed that. And don't worry about me, okay? I'll be okay from here._]

[_To: Feliciano Vargas_

_ Re: Thank you, Monika :)_

_ No problem. Anytime, und bitte schön._]

Sometime later, perhaps about an hour, her phone buzzed again. She finished her business with her current customer before opening the message.

[_1 new message from: Feliciano Vargas_

_ I only have another half of a year before I graduate. It's a little bit scary._]

Monika took a second to think of a response, took care of another customer, then quickly typed out her thoughts.

[_To: Feliciano Vargas_

_ Re: I only have..._

_ Think of it as a new start or something. It means you succeeded and you're ready to move on with your life. You'll get a job and you'll start being an adult_.]

Five minutes. Another buzz.

[_1 new message from: Feliciano Vargas_

_ That's not why I'm scared. I don't wanna go back to Italy yet. Fratello said we were going back as soon as I graduate. That's what the money is supposed to be for._]

Monika felt her heart sink a little bit and was just about to respond when another text interrupted her thoughts.

[_1 new message from: Feliciano Vargas_

_ I'll miss you when I go back. I don't want to say goodbye to you. Fratello doesn't understand_.]

And another message.

[_1 new message from: Feliciano Vargas_

_ I don't want to leave yet._]

Monika couldn't respond to those. She quickly texted out an "_I'm sorry_" before shutting her phone off and deciding to save that conversation for a later date. She still had time. Even if Feliciano was to move back to Italy right after his graduation, she'd still have time to say goodbye. Another half a year was a long time, right?

**o-o-o-o-o**

_Year 3: Summer. June 3._

**o-o-o-o-o**

It came much, much too soon. But there she was, wishing to be anywhere but here today. Her expression was dismal, to say the least, but she faked a smile around Feliciano whenever he shot her a nervous or excited glance from the rows of folding chairs in the middle of the room.

Today was Feliciano's graduation day. The day that he had looked forward to for these past three years – the excitement, the diplomas, the party, the celebration – it was all incredibly exciting and wonderful and spectacular. The graduation was being held in a nearby community center, due to the small size of his school and due to the fact that the buildings weren't large enough to hold the graduating class and the families who came to celebrate and congratulate their children and relatives who were graduating. The only people Feliciano had expected to show up were Lovino and Monika, but much to his surprise, others showed as well. In a small group in the audience, there were Lovino and Monika, as predicted, but there were others as well. Monika's brother had been invited to show, and he did, along with a shy-looking young woman who Feliciano didn't recognize. She and Gilbert were holding hands, and Feliciano assumed they were a couple. She was very cute, Feliciano noted – she looked like a more-innocent-and-much-less-German version of Monika. Feliciano laughed just a little bit at the thought. Lovino and his husband were also there and another blonde man who Feliciano recognized as Francis Bonnefoy was there as well – he was a sort of 'big brother' figure Feliciano had while growing up, mainly visited for those days where Lovino just wasn't being cooperative. He was also very close to the others here, as well as Feliciano. Everyone there was smiling, except for Monika. But Feliciano didn't notice.

Kiku was sitting next to Feliciano in their robes in the chairs there in front of the stage, and another classmate of Feliciano's who he was quite fond of sat to his other side, a young lady named Anastasia. Feliciano's eyes were locked onto the stage, both with excitement and mild fear, considering he had volunteered to give an end of the year graduation speech, and frankly, he was a nervous wreck. He was not a good speaker, or, at least, he didn't think he was, and he had not given the speech too terribly much practice, something he'd struggled with his entire college career. It was an inspirational speech that Feliciano himself had willingly offered to give, but for a completely different reason than to congratulate his students and to explain how much he'd improved over the three years. He never actually thought they'd let him speak, and his heart was in his throat. But he was also jittering with excitement, because he knew exactly how to end this speech. He just needed to start it, and keep it going until it was time to stop talking. He hadn't asked his brother for permission, but he knew that this was something that he wanted more than anything to do, and he hoped that Antonio would convince Lovino to accept it. Feliciano prayed as he sat there between his friends, with a smile dancing on his pinkened face.

One by one, the students were called up to accept their diplomas and certificates of culinary expertise, in alphabetical order, despite their rather sporadic seating arrangements, and Feliciano knew he was last, and not only because his last name was four letters before the end of the alphabet. His speech was going to be the last part of the ceremony, the ending of it all. So Feliciano waited, wishing the ever-stoic Kiku the best of luck and giving the ever-tearful Anastasia a little pat on the knee before she went up. At last, everybody else had received their diplomas and certificates, and the last name was called.

"_Feliciano Vargas._"

He got up, wearing his smile with pride, and walked up to the stage to accept his diploma, the cheers of the audience and his classmates putting a spring in his step as he walked to the center of the stage, accepted the diploma and certificate and shook a few hands, and then paused in front of the mounted microphone. He set his diploma and his certificate gently on the ground next to the podium, and waited for the cheers to die down before clearing his throat, and once it was completely quiet, he felt very tiny. He laughed nervously and rubbed the back of his head.

"Well, this is a lot scarier than I thought it would be! You'll all have to deal with my voice being a little squeakier than normal," Feliciano giggled, his Italian accent shining through his voice, highlighted by his nervousness.

The audience laughed. Feliciano heard Gilbert's strange sounding laugh all the way from the podium.

"But back to the original topic..." Feliciano leaned forward a little bit, placing both hands on the podium, "This is a very important day for all of us here gathered in this building today. And I know that every speaker so far has said this already, but this is a milestone in all of our lives. It is a day that we all will remember as one of the most important, and these three years were some of our golden years as individuals. And as for us students gathered here right now, we're the best that there is! We made it through those three years, through all the tests and all the work," Feliciano added a little bit of hand gesturing, "...and all the pasta and all the pizza, and whatever else you guys all made in the kitchens, those two were definitely my most memorable."

The audience laughed again, louder this time.

"And here we are today, standing in front of our families and friends, about to cross over from being student to being an adult. Isn't it weird and wonderful to think about that?" He paused before continuing, "And I also like to think instead of this being an ending to the story of our college life, that it's a new beginning; a new chapter, perhaps. A chance to show the world just who we really are, on the inside, the chance of a lifetime that only we can decide on. We all have so much potential, and this proves it. These diplomas and these certificates prove that!"

And the audience cheered as Feliciano pumped a fist into the air.

"I definitely wanna thank each and every one of my teachers and peers, because it would kinda be mean to play favorites in front of the whole school, huh?" Feliciano giggled, "Though, I'm going to do it anyway, because everyone kinda does."

The audience snickered, and Feliciano gave a wink and a rather smug grin in return. He earned himself a wolf-whistle from somewhere in the audience. He suspected it was from either Gilbert or Francis.

"First of all, I have to thank my little friend group that I spent most of my free time in school with. You guys and girls all are spectacular, for helping me when I needed it, being there when I needed it, and smacking some sense into me when I needed it too. So a huge thank you to Kiku, Anastasia, and everybody else too!"

Feliciano could see Kiku smiling, and Anastasia swipe at her eyes.

"I have to thank my amazing professors, so thank you, chefs! I'd thank you all individually, but I kinda don't remember all of your names right now; my mind's a little foggy and confused right now from all this limelight!" Feliciano waved out in the general direction of the teachers, who were all laughing quietly at the spaztastic Italian giving the speech, of which not one of them actually believed was twenty-one years old.

"And I need to give a few special shout-outs to those who aren't directly involved with the school too, don't I?" He smiled, knowing that his speech was going to be over soon and continued, "I need to give a very special shout-out to _mio_ _nonno_, who's watching me from Heaven right now, and hopefully he's proud of me for getting this far. _Ti amo, Nonno, e buonanotte._" Feliciano blinked ten times in a row and looked upwards, willing himself to hold back his emotions at least until after his speech, and he took a breath and continued.

"I also need to thank _mio fratello_, Lovino Vargas, who's out there in the audience," Feliciano pointed to him, "He never really gets a lot of limelight, so I thought I'd give him some, since he's a really, really good brother, even if he's a little stubborn sometimes. But he's all I've got left for my family, and I love him very much, enough to embarrass him on stage right now!"

Lovino hid his face in his hand, embarrassed by his brother, and Antonio put a hand around him cheerfully. Feliciano smiled warmly while the room was filled with a different type of laughter than before.

"And this one isn't really a shout-out, but more of a question."

The crowd looked perplexed for a second, before Feliciano continued, the warm smile on his face growing more and more excited.

"My last shout-out is to a very dear friend of mine, who has helped me throughout the years so much, and who I have visited every single day since my first few days as a first-year all the way up to today, right before this ceremony. She is a wonderful and kind-hearted woman, and she means more to me than I think I can say up here today! It would take too long."

Monika's eyes widened and her heart raced. Feliciano was talking about her. Gilbert patted her shoulder and gave her a wide grin and an eager nod before Feliciano continued.

"Every day throughout my college experience, I visited her. She's a banker, and each day, I'd come in and exchange one euro, since as you all could probably tell, I'm from Italy! Anyway, I saved all the money that I got over the years, a little more than a dollar a day, and stored it away so that I could use it to go back to Italy after I graduated. After saving more than a thousand dollars, I decided, probably against _fratello's_ will, to use it for something different. Haha, that's another thing I need to really thank _Nonno_ for, his inheritance!"

The audience, once again, burst out into laughter. Even Monika giggled a little bit. Feliciano was better at speaking than he had led on. Lovino looked confused.

"And so, since I've already probably made you all angry for going over my time limit anyway," Feliciano added this since about half the audience had left already, "I'm going to cut to the chase and end this speech by saying thank you to everybody here, once again, to accept my diploma and my certificate with pride and with confidence, and finally announce question for this amazing lady, since I already did everything else I was supposed to do! Hang on a second, _per favore_..."

Feliciano stepped in front of the podium, and what he did next shocked everyone. Without any regard to the audience's reactions, he removed his cap, flattened out his hair, leaned down and removed his robe, revealing a fitted tuxedo with a purple tie – _the same one that Feliciano had worn to his brother's wedding,_ Monika noted. It was then that it shot through her mind what he was about to do. He approached the front of the stage and spoke slowly, the smile on his face never once faltering.

"I bet you're all wondering why I'm wearing such a fancy thing under here, huh?" he paused before continuing, "Well, I know this is probably super cheesy and clichéd, but like I said before, I have something to ask this lady as a finale to my speech, and as a last word before we all get the heck out of here."

Feliciano shoved his hands in his pockets, suddenly shy from the adrenaline rushing to his brain and tingling in his fingertips. He removed his hands in his pockets quickly and hid them behind his back, and smiling at Monika, who was straight ahead of him, in the back of the room but in the front of the audience. Gilbert was absolutely hysterical with happiness, and could hardly contain himself, while Lovino was completely blown away by Feliciano's '_change of plans_.' And Monika, Monika could only stand there and stare out at Feliciano, dumbfounded and still.

"I've been wanting to say this for...um...I think two and a half years. Ahahah, this is kinda difficult now, wow," Feliciano mumbled, all of a sudden embarrassed, but still able to continue, "Anyway...I bought something for you with the money that I saved up through college, and I completed my courses and studied hard so that I could graduate and have the strength and ability to ask you this one question. And I bet you guys all know what it is."

And Feliciano, without further ado, jumped down from the stage. He landed with a surprisingly graceful step and walked towards Monika, one hand still behind his back. About halfway there, he decided this was taking too long, and broke into a run towards the blonde-haired German woman standing there with a look of absolute and genuine shock on her face. Feliciano walked up to Monika and stopped only about a foot in front of her, withdrew one hand from behind his back, and revealed a little black box that could only contain one thing. Monika's heart almost stopped, then and there, and she could feel her face turning redder by the second. She stared at Feliciano, unable to think, as he shut his eyes and dropped to one knee, taking her right hand with him.

"Monika Beilschmidt, now that I'm done with college, and now that I can finally afford what's in this box, all thanks to your help and your support...d'you think you'd answer me this one question?"

The room exploded with screams and cheers from all directions, but all the ecstatic Italian could hear was white noise; his eyes and his smile were aimed directly at Monika's face, Monika's blue eyes, her shocked blue eyes that were wide as dinner plates as the words sunk into her mind. He opened the box, and revealed nothing more than a diamond ring, and his words were nothing more than a whisper on his lips that dissipated into the air and meshed with the clamor of the room. And that ring was the second most beautiful thing that Monika had ever seen.

"_Will you marry me?_"

Feliciano's smile was the first.

Monika bit down on her lower lip, almost afraid to answer right now, but she swallowed her emotions and held her other hand over her mouth before nodding quickly and shutting her eyes. She moved her hand, and she began to laugh, her smile dancing on her face and her cheeks pinker than they've ever been. Feliciano perked up, and Monika could just barely hear his exclamation of, "_Really?_" through the echoing roars of an excited crowd, and she nodded again through her laughter and through her misty eyes as they opened once again and met Feliciano's. At this, his smile became even more perfect, and he looked so unbelievably happy as he jumped up and threw his arms around Monika's shoulders and connected their lips for the very first time. The kiss was electrical, paralyzing, and absolutely wonderful, and as soon as Feliciano pulled back, his arms were around her again and he was hugging her like there was no tomorrow, squeezing her tightly with all the love and affection that he could possibly give this woman. She could hear him crying into her shoulder, and she knew it was out of joy, because she was crying too. Happiness was bubbling around the room like mad, and before long, Gilbert and the girl he was with and Antonio (who dragged Lovino) and Francis and Kiku and Anastasia and everybody Feliciano knew and loved came over and joined the hug and whooped and cheered like they had waited for this for their whole lives.

And the two were so happy that they could die.

**o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o**

**A/N: And I think this is just about the end of Vollständigkeit! I really enjoyed writing this one; it has angst AND fluff! :D Thanks so much for reading, and I hope you enjoyed this story!**

**I'm planning on writing an epilogue for this, so this isn't quite the last chapter, not just yet. Please read and review!**

**-Maya**


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